Friday Prayer Leader Accuses Government Of Impeding Security Forces

Isfahan’s Friday Prayer Leader has indirectly criticized President Hassan Rouhani’s governments for what he has termed as “throwing monkey wrench into the operations of police forces”.

Yousef Tabatabayinejad, who is also the representative of the Supreme Leader, ayatollah Khamenei, in Isfahan, has not specifically named Rouhani’s government, local website, ‘Sahibnews’ reported.

However, the outspoken Friday Prayer Leader is known for his attacks against President Hassan Rouhani’s administration and policies.

Tabatabayinejad is also a vociferous figure when it comes to attacking what the conservatives in Iran describe as “bad hijab”.

In October 2013, a series of vicious acid attacks against women took place in Isfahan apparently to scare women who did not have proper hijab.

At the time, Tabatabayinejad was accused of having fomented these attacks by encouraging believers in his sermons to have a tough stance against bad hijab.

The perpetrators were never found, which fueled more suspicion about the involvement of conservatives in the attacks

Tabatabayinejad recently lambasted those “faithful believers” who kept mum while many women, celebrating Rouhani’s reelection in Isfahan, took off their “hijab” and discarded their scarves.

“We do not permit dancers to hold victory parties and remove their scarves,” the cleric lamented, and warned, “If the government fails to stop them, people themselves will step in and prevent them from doing so”.

The cleric went further, by cautioning, “So far, people have stayed calm to avoid tensions. Nevertheless, they will step in if the government continues to stand idly by”.

Meanwhile, the conservative cleric called upon people to be vigilant against those who ignore God’s will, “Whenever you see someone disobeying God, do not hesitate to react. We should not close our eyes and remain indifferent against wrongdoings”.

Isfahan’s Friday Prayer Leader in tandem with his counterpart in Mashhad, ayatollah Ahmad Alam al-Hoda is the spearhead in attacking music recitals and concerts in Iran.

“Seventy five percent of the people of Isfahan do not need concerts and we should not sacrifice all for a few people,” he roared in July.